Business aviation soaring to new heights in Malta
Date
31 Oct 2019
Sections
Transport
31 October, Valletta. As part of the premier edition of the Malta Aviation Conference and Exhibition (MACE - 30 October - 1 November in Valletta), the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and Malta Business Aviation Association (MBAA) are putting corporate aviation centre stage, demonstrating the significant impact the industry has had in Malta’s rapid growth. The dedicated business aviation sessions scheduled on 31 October provide an opportunity to showcase the centrality of the industry, which is becoming a fast-growing economic sector in Malta, and to create an environment of collaboration and cooperation in which aviation leaders can come together to help each other succeed, profit and thrive.
The business aviation industry in Malta is an important segment of aviation and a growing economic resource for the country. This rapid growth is the result of the friendly regulatory environment and implementation of extensive investment by national authorities in recent years, as well as a consequence of forward-looking strategies undertaken by the private sector. At a time in which aviation is one of the most criticised sectors for its carbon emissions, industry and government leaders are meeting to discuss the way forward.
Business aviation in Malta: positive impact and challenges ahead
As part of the broader aviation community, business aviation represents 6% of Maltese aviation and has experienced a 51% increase in traffic compared to 2010 levels. This positive trend is also testified by the number of registered aircraft in Malta which has grown from 18 in 2010 to 165 in 2019. With an economic output of 511 million euros in 2018 and providing more than 3200 direct & indirect jobs, the sector has become an important contributor to the Maltese economy. The industry’s rapid growth is, however, putting pressure on the Maltese aviation framework. It is therefore imperative that as the country’s aerospace activity continues to grow and diversify, so does its infrastructure and the support provided by the Civil Aviation Authority.
While focusing on ensuring a prosperous future for the sector, the business aviation community is also fully committed to the fight against climate change.
“For decades, business aviation has been fostering environmental stewardship across the full value-chain, and we are geared up to meet our carbon neutral growth targets by 2050,” explains Athar Husain Khan, EBAA Secretary-General. “Taking up our responsibilities, both socially and environmentally, have and will continue to be core to our operations and innovations.”
As a sector, business aviation is committed to improving fuel efficiency 2% per year from 2010 until 2020, to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and to halve total CO2 emissions by 2050 relative to 2005. One of several pathways is through investment in new aircraft technology, which includes sustainable alternative fuel (SAF). While significant progress is being made in the realm of SAF, the availability of this fuel is not yet widespread, making access to it both challenging and costly. EBAA and MBAA, therefore, support the creation of policy mechanisms that enable and support the development of local infrastructure to produce and deliver the fuels required by the industry.
For more information on the event program and speakers click here. For further information on business aviation in Malta and in Europe, please visit MBAA.org and EBAA.org.
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What is business aviation?
We fly where others cannot.
Business aviation is a specialized travel solution and investment strategy that enables people to meet face-to-face when time matters most. It allows users to have full control over their schedule and travel to at least three times more destinations in Europe than they could if relying solely on airlines. In fact, many of those destinations are not served by other forms of air travel. For companies, this leads to productivity gains, whilst also allowing them to reach and invest in communities in remote locations, boosting local economic growth in the process.
Across Europe business aviation accounts for:
8% of the European traffic;
374,000 direct and indirect jobs;
87 billion euros economic output;
A based fleet: 3,700 aircraft;
70 medical flights per day.
Contact: Frederique Luca, Senior Communications Manager, +32 2318 2805, fluca@ebaa.org
About EBAA
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) is the leading organisation for operators of business aircraft in Europe. Our mission is to enable responsible, sustainable growth for business aviation, enhance connectivity and create opportunities.
EBAA Works to improve safety standards and share knowledge, to further positive regulation and to ease all aspects of closely tailored, flexible, point to point air transportation for individuals, governments, businesses and local communities in the most time-efficient way possible.
Founded in 1977 and based in Brussels, EBAA represents more than 730 members companies, corporate operators, commercial operators, manufacturers, airports, fixed-based operators, and more, with a total fleet of more than 1,000 aircraft. We provide more than 50 products and services to the business aviation community, including the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), Europe’s largest business aviation trade show.
For more information, please visit EBAA.org and expandinghorizons.com. Join the conversation and follow us on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook with #ExpandingHorizons.